


The Great Gift Debate

by xxDustNight88



Series: Holmes for the Holidays [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Cute Sherlock Holmes, F/M, Hermione is a tad of a drama queen, Sherlock Being Sherlock, Sherlock Being an Idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 02:39:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12973956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxDustNight88/pseuds/xxDustNight88
Summary: In which Sherlock struggles to find the perfect gift for Hermione and she finds the entire situation both frustrating and amusing.





	The Great Gift Debate

**Author's Note:**

> I rather enjoyed writing this one. I hope you love it as much as I do. Thank you as always for your continued feedback and support!
> 
> Thank you to SquarePeg72 for alpha reading and starrnobella for beta reading! Much love, xxDustNight
> 
> Disclaimer: All non-original characters, plot points, and information belongs to J.K. Rowling, BBC, or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story plot and dialogue belongs to me. I do not write for profit.
> 
> Written for Laura. Thank you for this fun prompt. I really enjoyed it! Also, thank you for always reading my stories. I hope you enjoy this! 
> 
> Prompt: It might be interesting (humorously sidesplitting) to see Hermione's reaction to Sherlock and his inability to buy her a befitting emotional gift for Christmas. Hermione as an emotional, logical thinker, and Sherlock not understanding the significance of "gifts" at Christmas.
> 
> Song Recommendation: "Carol of the Bells" by Pentatonix  
> [Holmes for the Holidays Playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/1246401351/playlist/1prfNYC9f8LMVVqPzgjs5l)

. . . .

" _One seems to hear, words of good cheer,_

_From everywhere, filling the air."_

\- Carol of the Bells, Pentatonix

. . . .

"So how long has he been trying to find me the perfect gift?"

Hermione sipped her hot chocolate with a grin, staring across the table at Mary, who had stopped by to see her. Occasionally, when John and Sherlock were off on their case escapades, Mary and Hermione would get together to keep from being alone. As their respective wives, sometimes they would get lonely when the boys went off on longer cases. Especially at the holidays.

Married for three years now, Sherlock and Hermione still considered themselves in that 'honeymoon' phase. While they had their disagreements, for example, Sherlock overworking himself, they still managed to keep things fun, new, and thrilling. Hermione especially enjoyed the holidays, probably getting far more enjoyment out of it than Sherlock did. She most certainly enjoyed watching her husband struggle to find her a befitting emotional gift. Usually, he recruited John to his aid, but this year, Hermione had forbid the good doctor from helping.

Essentially, Sherlock was on his own and he was floundering.

In fact, they'd had a bit of an argument just last night over the ordeal. Sherlock had questioned why they even had to purchase gifts for one another. Hermione had tried to calmly explain that it was Christmas and that's just what you did for the one you loved. It resulted in a screaming match, mostly on her end, in which she tried to get him to see he was being unemotional and over thinking the entire ordeal. She may have been slightly more dramatic than was her norm, but this was Christmas and she was tired of having to rely on their friends to make sure Sherlock bought her something special.

"Oh, I'm fairly certain he's been trying to find a gift for you since your birthday," Mary teased as she stirred her tea. Flashing Hermione a grin, she further explained, "We helped him get you those earrings for that, but made sure to warn him he was on his own for Christmas."

Giggling, Hermione asked, "So what has he brought you for approval so far?" While Sherlock was not allowed to have Mary and John help with the actual gift buying, he was allowed to ask them for final approval.

"Oh, let's see," Mary began, tapping her red, painted fingernails on the tabletop. "A striped sweater, a set of antique candle holders, a subscription to a monthly tea shipment, a pair of brown boots, and a personal grooming set complete with specialty brush."

"What!?" Hermione exclaimed, setting her cup of cocoa down on the table with far more force than necessary. "A personal grooming set!?"

"Yes," Mary said through pursed lips that Hermione suspected were hiding an amused grin. "That was my reaction as well. Sherlock wasn't thrilled."

"What did he say when you told him that was absolutely  _not_  something you buy your wife?" Hermione had to know, she just  _had_ to. While she had mentioned that her hair needed a trim because it was getting slightly out of hand, a personal grooming kit was not meant for a husband to buy his wife.

"Well, it was actually John who voiced his concerns over the matter. Sherlock didn't seem to understand how this could possibly cause you to be angry so John sort of had to scream at him a bit." Mary picked up her tea and sipped thoughtfully, definitely remembering the incident with much amusement.

"John yelled at Sherlock?" Hermione leaned forward, wanting all the details of this story.

"Oh  _yes_. It was quite entertaining." Mary sat up straighter in her seat. "He said 'If you buy Hermione that set, she will use her wand to cut off  _your_ hair!' You should have seen Sherlock's face." Promptly dissolving into a fit of giggles, Mary was lost for a few moments while Hermione sat by and shook her head.

"And I probably would, to be honest." Sighing she ran her fingers through her curls before admitting to last night's incident. "He and I had a row last night… I may have called him a machine."

"You didn't!"

Cringing, she nodded. "I did. I apologized immediately afterward, but still. I think I hurt his feelings a bit."

"Well, that explains why he came to us this morning, begging for help." Sounding much more serious now, Mary drank her tea and then set it aside. "He must have known that the hair kit would be a bust after your conversation."

"Probably…" Hermione trailed off, biting her lip as she stared into space. Maybe if Sherlock really was struggling to find her a gift, she should allow Mary and John to help him after all. "What happened after you talked him into returning to kit?"

"After Sherlock admitted to feeling obligated and harangued into buying the kit because of your hair comment, I sat him down and made him list out the things that you adored most in life." She smiled, reaching over and patting Hermione's arm. "He put three things over himself on the list."

"Really?" Hermione was surprised. She'd expected his ego to put him at number one. To be honest, he was the number one most special thing in her life, but she understood his thinking. He couldn't give himself to her for Christmas. Well, he could, but she didn't think that Sherlock would go quite  _that_  route. Their sex life was not lacking. At all.

"Yup! His top three were books, tea, and travel," Mary explained, crossing her arms and beginning to look smug.

Hermione shrugged one shoulder. "He's not wrong. I do love all of those things, but what, then, did he end up choosing?" After all, Mary and John had told him not to order her the tea shipment and she didn't see Sherlock wanting to take a vacation right now. Books then? The two of them had oodles of books already.

"Oh, I'll never tell," Mary teased. "I think you're really going to love what he's decided to get you this year. He figured it out all on his own, actually. He and John went off in search of the gift after making a few calls."

Hermione hummed thoughtfully, her mind running through possibility after possibility. In the end, she let the conversation change over to what they were going to do for New Year's Eve. By the time Mary left to return home to John and Rosie, Hermione felt much better over the gift situation than earlier that day. There were still a few days until Christmas and she intended not to let it get to her. If Mary and John were sure he'd found her the perfect gift, then who was she to question it?

. . . .

Christmas morning found Sherlock and Hermione cuddled together on the sofa. They'd fallen asleep there the night before after coming in from Mrs. Hudson's Christmas Eve party. They'd not made it to the bedroom, instead indulging their inebriated desires in the glow of the Christmas tree lights. Sherlock was running his fingers through Hermione's curls, his eyes closed as he worked through something in his Mind Palace. It was Hermione's satisfied sigh that finally drew his gaze to her face.

He smiled and she returned the gesture, moving to sit up and place a chaste kiss upon his lips. "Merry Christmas, Sherlock," she murmured when she pulled away.

He tugged her into his lap properly and wrapped strong arms around her. "Merry Christmas, Hermione," he returned, pulling the blanket up so they wouldn't feel the chill of the early morning. "How did you sleep?"

"Anytime I'm wrapped in your arms, I sleep well," she informed him, enjoying the way his high cheekbones flushed with color. He glanced away, unable to meet her eyes as he tried to hold back a smile.

"Yes, well," he coughed, clearing his throat. "I too sleep soundly when I am with you." Looking at her fully once more, he hesitantly asked, "Should we exchange gifts?" Hermione could tell he was nervous to get the gift reveal over with after struggling with it for so long.

"Sure!" Hermione agreed happily. She grabbed her wand and summoned the two wrapped gifts from under the tree. He caught them easily and then handed her the one he'd wrapped just for her. "You first," she insisted, wanting to prolong his torture just a little while longer.

Sherlock merely nodded as he carefully unwrapped his present. Hermione had managed to save enough money to get him a brand new, top of the line, microscope he'd had his eye on since last year. His elegant eyebrows shot up so high when he saw the box that they disappeared behind the curls that covered his forehead. "Hermione," he breathed out, smoothing one hand over the front of the box. "This is far more than you needed to purchase for me."

"Hush," she said as she playfully swatted his arm. "You've been dying to have it and your old one is getting a bit worn. I wanted you to have something practical and useful that I knew you would cherish."

Carefully, he set the new microscope on the floor and then carded his fingers through her hair. As he pulled her in for a kiss, Hermione couldn't help but be thrilled at his obvious approval of her gift for him. When he pulled away, too soon in her opinion, he told her simply, "Thank you," before tapping the gift she held in her hands. "Your turn."

She smirked, knowing he was dying to see her reaction now. Picking up the gift, she could tell it was a book. Curiosity made her want to tear the paper asunder in order to see what was held within the shimmery green wrapping, but she held back. Slowly, she revealed the cover of an old but good condition book. A small gasp left her lips as she read the title and the name of the author. Shocked brown eyes flickered up to meet Sherlock's sea-colored ones briefly before she whispered, "Is this for real?"

"It is. I had to drag John all over London in order to locate this specific edition," Sherlock intoned, a tiny bit of smugness in his voice. Uncertainly, he asked, "Do you like it?"

"Sherlock!" She nearly shrieked, heart pounding as she looked again to the book she held in her lap. "This is a first edition of Charles Dickens'  _The Christmas Carol_! Of  _course_  I love it!" As if to demonstrate her approval, she threw herself into his arms, capturing his mouth in a kiss that lasted almost long enough that they forgot what they were meant to be doing.

Sprawled out on the sofa now, Hermione's head rested on Sherlock's chest as she listened to the beating of his heart. Thinking back, she knew she'd only ever mentioned once in passing that  _A Christmas Carol_ was her very favorite holiday story. Somehow, in that brilliant mind of his, Sherlock had tucked that information away. Tilting her head up, she found Sherlock watching her, patiently waiting for her to speak.

"Thank you, Sherlock," she honestly told him. "This is the most thoughtful gift I have received in years."

"I'm glad you love it," he replied, rubbing his hand down her naked back and then back up again. Shifting slightly, he sat up against the armrest. "It was no easy feat finding you the perfect gift."

"I know, and I'm sorry for arguing with you about it so much." Hermione glanced away, slightly embarrassed with how she'd acted. "Mary told me about the list you came up with and it made me realize something."

"What's that," Sherlock inquired, still rubbing her back.

"As much as I love the gifts that you buy for me, nothing compares to your love," she admitted, placing a gentle kiss over his heart.

Sherlock chuckled, pausing his ministrations. "I knew I should have put myself as number one on that bloody list."

Hermione gave him a shocked look but he merely laughed, lifting her up so that he could kiss her again. She joined him in giggling and then the two of them lost themselves in one another's affections, their bodies demonstrating how much they loved each other with or without gifts.


End file.
